Malawi economist, academician Ben Kondoole dies: Burial Saturday

A distinguished and well known economist and academician, Prof. Benson Kandoole, passed on around noon on Tuesday at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe.

A family relation, Sophie Kandoole, who works for the National Registration Bureau as Deputy Director, told Lilongwe News Agency (LINA) that the family was in great shock at the death of their family pillar.

She said her uncle had been suffering from diabetes since 1996. She further disclosed that this year, he was also found to have problems with his kidney and subsequently succumbed to death due to cardiac failure.

“The whole family is in shock at the death of my uncle, he was at the hospital receiving medication but we didn’t think he would leave us, we hoped he would come out well, we were talking to him this very morning,” complained Kandoole obviously battling tears.

Kandoole said: “My uncle was the pillar of the family and most of us relatives are in good positions today because he worked hard to teach, train and advise us how to be successful in life.”

She said Prof. Kandoole was the last born in a family of three, two men and one and Prof. Kandoole was the last born with the other three already dead as in their same order of birth.

Kandoole came from Kasankha Village, T/A Nankumba in Mangochi District.

He graduated from the University of Malawi in 1971 with a Bachelor of Social Science degree.

Kondoole briefly lectured at the University of Malawi before leaving for the United States of America where he obtained his Masters and Doctorate degrees both in economics from 1974-79 at the California State University.

He spent most of his life at the Malawi Institute of Management (MIM) in Lilongwe where he worked for fifteen years as its Executive Director from 1993 to 2008.

Kandoole also served in several other positions some of them were; Chairman, University of Malawi Council (2005 to 2010), Chairman, Task Force for the Establishment of Council for Higher Education (September 2007 to present), Chairman, Publications & Editorial Committee, Economics Association of Malawi (2001till his death), Chairman, New Building Society Board of Directors (1994 – 1999), Member, Presidential Committee on Privatization (1994 1999), Chairman, Board of Trustees of Development of Malawian Traders Trust – DEMATT (1984 – 1990), Chairman, Alexander Hotels Limited (2002 till his death).

He also held responsibilities on the international arena such as Organizing Secretary, Southern African Universities Social Science Conference SAUSSC (1984-1985), External Examiner, M.A. Thesis on Public Expenditure, University of Zambia (1983), External Examiner, National University of Lesotho (1990), Visiting Lecturer, MA Programme, African Economics Research Consortium, Nairobi, Kenya, (1993).

As an academician, he also had publications to his credit some of them are: Twenty five years of Independence, Dzuka Publishing company -An overview of Economic and Historical Developments in Malawi since Independence (Co-author, June 1989), Mini Loans for Small Medium – scale enterprises in Malawi OSSREA, Structural Adjustment: Short Run Gains and Long Run Losses Proceedings of SAUSSC (1988), Mobilization of resources for National and Regional Development in Southern Africa, Social Science Conference (SAUSSC) Proceedings, MIE (Co-editor, 1988), Impact of Fertilizer Subsidy Removal Proceedings of SAUSSC (1988), Maize Marketing and Food Security Proceedings of SAUSSC (1988), Guidelines for Improving Evaluation Methods and Techniques in Malawi UNESCO (1984).

Prof. Kandoole was married to Neema Josephine Kandoole (nee Chilombe), an accomplished health professional who retired at the position of Deputy Director in the Ministry of Health.

He has left four daughters; Rehema, their first daughter who is married to Mzonde Mvula. She is an economist, working with the Reserve Bank of Malawi. Brenda, second born, married to Andrew Morley, a Briton. She is a financial accountant with Bearing Transmission and Pneumatics Ltd, in Derby UK. Third born is Priscilla – An economist with the World Bank, Malawi Country Office. Vanessa, the last born is a medical doctor with Ministry of Health, Zomba District Health Office.

Four grandchildren; Alisha Morley, Chelsea Mvula, Ryan Morley and Aretha Mvula.

Peter Mandala, also a family member described Prof. Kandoole as a very humble man, always cheerful and very approachable and liked joking.

He will be buried at his village, Kasankha in Mangochi this Saturday as they are waiting for the arrival of her second born daughter who lives in the United Kingdom. Funeral ceremony is taking place at his retirement home in Area 12 in Lilongwe.

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